Binder strip for floor coverings



July 7, 1931. R G COLLINS 1,813,025

BINDER STRIP FOR FLOOR COVERINGS Filed Sept. '7, 1929 9 //v VE/V'TOR.

fioBEfig 04 L/NS,

. ATTORNEYS.

Patented July 7, 1931 ROBERT G. COLLINS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA BINDER STRIP FOR FLOOR COVERINGS Application filed September '7, 1929. Serial No. 390,8?7.

My invention relates to a new and useful binder strip for floor coverings whereby the borders or edges of such coverings are completely enclosed and protected to prevent wear and tear and to prevent rufHing, wrinkling, and curling thereof, and whereby two or more separate pieces of floor coverings may be detachably and flexibly joined.

Asis well known, the edges of floor coverings are frequently subject to excessive wear and. tear as compared to the body portions thereof. Furthermore, due to the tendency of the edges of floor coverings to curl up wardly, and become wrinkled and ruflied, an

f untidy appearance results, together with a constant risk of stumbling over said edges and a certain amount of interference with the opening and closing of doors and the moving about of the furniture. These dis- '20' advantages are greatly accentuated in the case of rubber and other mats or rugs and other relatively thin, light floor coverings to an extent which frequently necessitated the tacking down or nailing of such floor cover- '25 ings to the floor, with consequent damage to the floor and the floor coverings.

It has further been the practice, when it is desired to join two or more pieces of floor 7 coverings to form a single piece, to sew, interweave, or tack the adjacent edges of said floor coverings together, with consequent damage to the floor and floor coverings and with a resultant difliculty in separating or detaching the floor coverings thus joined when jssf and if desired.

It is the object of my invention to provide novel binder attached strips, whereby the edges of floor coverings are completely enclosed andprotectedtopreventwear and tear,

C601 and whereby such edges are weighted down against the floor to prevent wrinkling, curling, and rulfiing without the necessity of permanently fastening the edges of said floor coverings to the floor, and at the same time eliminating the risk of stumbling over said without the necessity of sewing, interweaving, or tacking.

To the above ends, my invention consists of an inner U-shaped sleeve adapted to be rigidly and permanently secured to the edge of a floor covering, a weight in or in proximity to said inner sleeve, a slightly larger outer U-shaped sleeve slidable over and adapted to enclose said inner sleeve, means for interlocking said inner and outer sleeves in assembled position, and end cover clips adapted to engage and close the opposed open ends of said outer sleeve.

My invention further consists of novel means for detachably joining the adjacent edges of two pieces of floor coverings comprising U-shaped couplings adapted to engage the juxtaposed ends of the outer sleeves on said floor coverings, whereby the protected and enclosed edges of two floor coverings, 7 such as a pair of runners, may be joined in a flexible but detachable manner without any damage or injury thereto.

My invention still further consists of various other novel features of construction and advantage, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings two forms thereof which are at present 39 preferred by me, since the same have been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

In the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a floor covering provided with end binder strips embodying my invention, certain parts being shown in section.

Fig. 2 represents a fragmentary plan view illustrating the construction and manner of assembly.

Fig. 3 represents on an enlarged scale a section on line 33 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 represents a perspective view of an necting- U-shapedcoupling. or clip employed v hereinafter explained.

in the construction illustrated in Fig. 5.

' 7 Referringto ithe drawings, in which like" reference characters indicate like parts, 1' [designates a runner, rug, or-inat of'rubber,

wool, or other -material,theedges of'which are provided with binder strips embodying 7 my invention and comprising the inner U:

shaped sleeve 2- having the inwardly deflect ed or folded edges 3 and secured'to the edge 4 of the runner 1 by the bolt, pin, 'rivet or its equivalent 5." In, theouter portion of the ell-shapedsleeve2'isgthe weight 500, such as a v barof lead or the like, which serves to weight down the edge dot the runner 1, as will be sleeve 6 having the inwardly deflected edges 7, forming ways for thefedges of the inner sleeve2, is adapted to slide over and enclose .the'inner U-shaped sleeve 2 and islocked in position by the locking rod 8, which is positioned in the chamber formed between the closed endsoi' the two sleeves. The outer ends of the, outer U-shaped sleeves 6 areenclosed by the U-shaped clips 9 to impart a neatand attractive appearance and to prevent Y the entry of dust and dirt, as will'be understood from Figs. 1, 2, and-5, j p Toreniove the outer sleeve 6 it is first necessary towithdrawjor removetlie clips 9', after whiclithe rod 8 is withdrawn, whereuponthe j outer sleeve 6 slides easily over the inner sleeve 2 and'is longitudinally withdrawn,

will be understood from Fig. '2; I

When itis desired tojoin the ends or edges of two adjacent runners or rugs l3-and 14' providedwith iny novel binder strip, it is merely necessary to shorten'the'locking rods 8, to provide, recesses atJ-eith'erend thereof for receiving the ,U-s'haped couplings 10, the arms 11' and-12 of whichare adapted to ensing the runners .or r'ugs 13 understood from F g; 5.

'gageigthe parallel recesses'ii'orined in the adjacentedges of-tl'ie ju'xtaposed outer U-shaped sleeves-6, thus flexibly and detachablyijoinand 14, as will be By use of the outer sleeves dof highlyp ol- V ished brass or other metal, I not onlyimpart an attractive appearance to my novel binder 7 -strips,-but I cover the bolts securing the inner sleeve 2 to thefedge 40f theirug 1', and thus g rug is laid] guard against scratching ors oth'erwise darn-i aging the hardwood floor uponwhich said It will thus beseenthat Ihave devised novel binder strip wherebyfalliruifiing, curling and wrinkling oftheedges of floorcover-' i igs. s, elim nated, so-that a neat and attrac- An outer U-shaped v tive appearance is presented, and all risk of stumbling over edges of floor coverings, and

all interference with the closing and opening of doorsorthe noving about of furniture is obviated, since the edges of floor coverings, whether fringedor llellllned, are thus com- Which forms no seriousobstruction as is the case with thesloose,unprotected and unenr closed edge of floor coverings as conventionally laid on floors. The protection from wear and ,tear and. the' increase in the life'iof the floor coverings isob'viousp r 7 I am aware that the invention may be em- I bodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and therefore desire the present embodiment to-be considered in'all respects as illustrative reference being had to the appended, claims rather than to the foregoing pressed into a relatively fiat U-shapedsleeve descriptionto indicate the scope of the"in-,

vention. a c,

Having thus describedmy invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:' 7

1. In a device of the character stated, an

outer U-shaped sleeve having its inner edges folded inwardly-to form inner ways, an inner sleeves having, its edges positioned within said ways, there being a. chamberv formed;

between the closed ends of said sleeves, and a longitudinally slidable locking'rodpositionedinsaid chamber. I 5 ,2. In-a device of ithe' character stated,an

i enter UI-shaped-"sleeve having its inneredges folded inwardly to form inner ways, an inner c sleeve having its edges positioned within said ways, there being achainber formed between the closed endsofsaid sleeves, alongitudinallyl slidable locking rod positioned said chamber, and-a floor covering: having its, edge positioned, within saidfinner sleeve. and secured thereto.v

73.. In a device ofthefcharacter stated, an inner u shapedsleeve adapted to engagethe edge of a flooreovering, means for securing said sleeve to said edge, asweight iiiisaid sleeve,

its

an outer: U-shapedjsleeveslidable over. and

adapted to enclose saidinnerisleevefand means for interlocking the edges ofsaidtinner andou-t-er sleeves;

. lgIn a'devic'e of the character'statedan edge of a floor covering,means'forfastening said sleeveto said edge, ,a' weight in said sleeve, an outer U-shaped sleevezslidable over inner U-shaped sleeve adapted to engage the e 7 and adapted toenclose said ginner U-shaped sleeve, means for interlocking said innerand outer sleeves, and U shaped end clips adapted to engagejandenclose the ends of said sleeves.

5; In a'device of the character stated, av

pair of inner U-shaped sleeves a'daptedito pieces of =flo0r1 covering,'ineans for securing said inner. sleeves to said edges; a; 'pair of v enclose'the' adjacent edgesof-twocontiguous I outer U-shaped sleeves slidable over and adapted to enclose said inner sleeves, means forinterlocking said inner and outer sleeves, U-shaped clips adapted to engage and enclose the ends of said sleeves, and U-shaped couplings adapted to engage the juxtaposed adjacent edgesof said outer sleeves flexibly and detachably to join said edges.

6. In a device of the character stated, a pair of inner U-shaped sleeves adapted to enclose the adjacent edges of two contiguous pieces of floor covering, means for securing said inner sleeves to said edges, Weights in said inner sleeves, a pair of outer U-shaped sleeves slidable overand adapted to enclose said inner sleeves, means for interlocking said inner and outer sleeves, U-shaped clips adapted to engage and enclose the ends of said sleeves, and U-shaped couplings adapted to engage the juxtaposed adjacent edges of said outer sleeves flexibly and detachably to join said edges.

7. A binder strip for floor coverings comprising an outer U-shaped sleeve having its inner edges folded inwardly to form inner ways, an inner sleeve telescoping within said outer sleeve and having its edges positioned in said ways, .there being a chamber formed between the closed ends of said sleeves, a longitudinally slidable locking rod positioned in said chamber, a weight for one of said sleeves, and a flexible coupling adapted to engage the end of said locking rod chamber, detachably and yieldably to join two adjacent ROBERT G. COLLINS.

binder strips. 

